In driving home to Pennsylvania after Thanksgiving Day in Atlanta, we decided to take an entirely different route to vary the scenery. On the way down we had passed through countryside to which many of the Germanna people had moved. It was with regret that I noted I did not know more about the physical land, the political boundaries, and the lives of these individuals. On another trip, to an area that had involved parts of the old Rowan County, North Carolina, I had been amazed when my host took me on a tour of the old German churches. Every time one delves a little deeper, it seems that one learns more.
In coming home, we decided on an entirely different route which duplicated nothing of the trip down. It is worthwhile to spend a little extra effort and to see more and to learn more. From Atlanta, we went up to Chattanooga and through Knoxville. The road continued on to southwest Virginia, through Wytheville, Roanoke, Lexington and on into the Shenandoah Valley. We continued on toward Harrisburg in Pennsylvania and then came back down to Chadds Ford which is almost at Wilmington, Delaware.
In Greene County, TN, I believe we were passing through Broyles and Willheit country and umpteen other Germanna family outlets from Virginia. In southwest Virginia we passed through the land of Zacharias Blankenbeckler. One can see that I certainly felt at home. One asks, "I wonder what it was like here late in the eighteenth century?"
As we came to Staunton, VA, we decided to stop at the Museum of American Frontier Culture. They advise allowing two hours to visit. Even though the day was drizzly and cool, we were there more than two and one-half hours so you can see the kind of impression it made on us. We recommend a stop there if you pass by. If you are just coming close, a detour to the site is recommended.
The main attraction at the Museum is four farms, one from Germany, one from Ulster, one from England and a more modern blend of American architecture. When I say "from Germany, etc.", I literally mean that. They found a building complex in Germany including a home, barn and tobacco shed and packed it up and brought it along. The building dates to 1688 and is important because it shows the influence of German architecture that the Germans would have brought.
The Ulster building is from Northern Ireland, the home of the Scotch-Irish. This building was typical of Scotland and Ireland in the eighteenth century. The English building dates to 1630 and is typical of late seventeenth century architecture.
The American farm is more modern as it dates only to 1835. It was from Botetourt County.
Besides the physical buildings, there are interpretive guides who act the roles of the persons living in the building. Because the day was miserable weatherwise, there were few other visitors. This meant more time was available to spend with the guides though. Perhaps one of the strongest conclusions that I reached was that life could be very uncomfortable. Getting warm using only a small fireplace is not easy. Especially when the wind is blowing through the cracks.
We gratefully acknowledge the work of John Blankenbaker who published over 2,500 Germanna History Notes via the Germanna-L@rootsweb.com email list from 1997 to 2008. We are equally thankful to George Durman (Sgt. George) for hosting the list and republishing the notes via rootsweb.com.